Into the Night
by Pigs Go Moo
Summary: Zazu falls for a younger girl from a royal family named Dalila, but there's only one thing keeping them apart—Dalila's greedy father who will sabotage their relationship one way or another. Based on the song "Into the Night". *told in Zazu's POV*
1. First Comes Love

**Hey everyone! I know I haven't updated TLK3:NG in a while. I promise I'll update soon! I'm sorry for the long wait. I had a bad case of writer's block. Anyway, I decided to write a Zazu fanfic. I don't see a lot of him here and I thought he could use one. Anyway, the title of the song is based off the song "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones. If you haven't listened to it yet, I urge you to. It's such a powerful song. Anyway, without further ado here's…my chapter. :P**

**Oh P.S. This chapter won't be too long. I don't think the chapters will be as long as my other two stories. But let's just see where it goes!**

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~ 1 ~

"Simba? Nala…?" I echoed as I darted through the Pridelands. The young master and his soon to be queen had gotten away…yet again. So far, neither the prince nor his cream-colored companion were in sight.

"Watch it!" a stray zebra barked as I bumped into him.

What a shame. No respect for the royal majordomo. I'm the one that alerts the king and make it possible for these fools to roam another day and this is how they treat me? I dodged a herd of elephants, hoping to spot the familiar gold and peach furred felines. Not realizing it, I had flew straight into an airborne bird. We both fell to the ground, rolling into a nearby tree. Just as I was about to give her an apology, I was shooed away by an older bird.

"Watch where you're going!" she scolded. "Do you have any idea who you just bumped into?"

"My apologies," was all I uttered, trying not to say what was actually on my mind.

"It's alright." the younger bird smiled. "I insist."

I immediately pulled her up, and we both locked eyes. She was indeed a very beautiful young bird. She was a teal plumaged hornbill, with the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen. They were like a pair of blue topaz gems, which glistened when the light from the sun's powerful rays shone down on her.

"Princess, we must go!" the elder of the two hornbills moaned as she guided her away from me.

"Bisa, please!" she snapped at the portly bird. "Let me be!"

_**Bisa**_ immediately complied and let her go.

"I'm sorry, Sir." she said warmly.

"No." I maintained. "I should've watched where I was going."

"Well, if you insist." she giggled. "Why were you flying so fast anyway?"

"I'm just looking for some cubs."

She immediately lit up.

"Are you talking about that little brownish-gold and beige cub?"

"Yes," I replied with utter relief. "You saw them?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have known what they looked like—now would I?" she laughed.

"Oh," I replied nervously with a forced laugh.

"Anyway, they just headed North." she said, pointing her wing to the left.

Just beyond the tip of her wing, there was a tangle of lively green shrubs and trees. Surely, the cubs were overwhelmed with curiosity and snuck off when I wasn't looking.

"Thank-you, Madame." I said with courtesy.

"Madame?" she said humorously. "Please, just call me Dalila."

_Dalila…what a beautiful name. _

With that, our brief and awkward encounter came to an end and we both went our separate ways. She was long gone, but I couldn't get her out of my head. Even when I tried to think of something else, I'd always be reminded of those beautiful topaz irises of hers of that perfect slick teal coat she sported. Heh. Or maybe that voice. My God, it was so angelic and so pure. My endless pondering was interrupted when I felt a nudge on my shoulder that nearly knocked me off balance. I turned around and saw the cubs towering over me.

"Splendid! Now I'm spared from having to search day and night for you two misfits."

"Who was that girl you were talking to?" Simba asked, choosing not to react to what I said previously.

"Yeah," Nala added soon after. "She was _reallyyy_ pretty."

"That's none of your concern, Young Master!" I reproached defensively.

"Then can you tell me?" Nala asked giddily.

"_**No!**_"

"Was it your sister?" the prince inquired.

"No…"

"Your mother?" suggested Nala.

"No…"

"Your cousin?"

"No…"

"Your girlfriend—"

"**No!**" I blurted out in denial.

The cubs were silenced—finally.

"Sorry about that," I said apologetically. "But Dalila is merely an acquaintance. Nothing more."

"So Dalila…" Simba teased. "_That's_ her name?"

"Zazu and Dalila." Nala said unsurely. "You guys sound like a _really _weird couple."

"We're **not** involved in any way." I retorted. "I merely bumped into her while searching for you two demons."

"Zazu and Dalila sitting in a tree." Simba sung playfully. "K-I-S-S-I-N—."

"**Enough!**" I ejaculated in frustration. "Now unless you want your parents knowing about your little _adventure_, I advise you keep your traps shut and never mention this again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir…" the duo muttered sadly.

I actually felt bad for reacting like that. I was acting like a little fledgling at this point, but I must say, love makes you act abnormal. Agh! There I go again! Falling in love with the girl when I barely know. This is pure absurdity!

"_I am not in love with Dalila! I am not in love with Dalila!__I am not in love with Dalila!_" I said in my head on the way to Pride Rock.

"_No time to be foolish, Zazu. The king needs you. The Pridelands needs you! You don't have to for *scoff*—__**LOVE**__! You'll have to fight it no matter how vibrant her feathers are or how…luminous her eyes were when she stared at me and…how soft and beautiful her voice was. Her personality, and-and—__**Great Kings**__._ _I'm doing it again!" _

"Uhhh…you okay, Zazu?" Simba asked, snapping me back into reality.

His eyebrow was cocked suspiciously. Nala was by his side giggling girlishly.

"I'll be fine, Young Master." I assured. "You two, head off home. And don't do anything foolish."

"Say hi to Delilah for me." Simba added before he and Nala took off giggling.

Who am I trying to fool? Heck, even Simba and Nala, as young as they are, can see through this silly charade. I'm in **love** with this delicate bird. Hmm, Delicate Dalila. No…Darling Dalila. Really Zazu—**really**? Am I _**really **_going to let one measly woman who I've barely talked to for 5 minutes stay on my mind for the rest of my life? Besides, she's a princess! She's probably affianced to some handsome young bird who'll give her the moon and stars. She's way out of my league. I'm fighting for a lost cause as far as I'm concerned.

I ambled towards my tree which was right besides Pride Rock, which was also the home of my quaint little nest.

"Now Zazu, I want you to take a nice nap and get that Dalila bird out of your mind!" I instructed myself as I went in my typical sleeping position.

_I'm going mad. Hopping mad! It's amazing how I could turn from a respectable and work-hungry advisor to a lovesick wreck after such a brief encounter. If this is the way I'd act from just a short conversation, maybe this love thing isn't for me after all._

With that, I nestled myself deeper into my round twiggy abode and fell asleep.

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**Here it is! Forgive me if I don't update these three stories as fast as I did before. It's hard juggling them all at once. But I've promised this fic for a while now so I just published it for the heck of it—it being a day-off and all. It's hard, but be advised that this doesn't mean I'll leave you guys hanging! Don't forget to review by the way! It motivates me to get my chapters out faster! **

**Peace!**


	2. Dining With Royalty

**Four reviews in one chapter! :O Gah, I love you guys so friggin' much! xD Anyway, sorry for the slight delay. Regents week! But before I go off-topic, here's chapter 2!**

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~2~

"Good morning, Sire!" I began cheerfully as I bowed at the king's feet.

Mufasa towered over me, saluting me with his mighty voice. Simba trailed right behind him, prancing about, trying to catch a gray mouse that had caught his eye.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to be alarmed." I said heartily. "There's not a threat in sight. Everyone's just living their normal lives this fine Dalila da—**Gah! I mean **_**delicate**_** day!**"

I tried to pretend as if nothing happened and it was just a minor slip of the tongue, but I already caught his attention.

"Dalila, eh?" chuckled Mufasa as he nudged my chest with his paw. "Who's Dalila?"

"Eh-he-he, she's just a—."

"**She's Zazu's girlfriend!**" Simba blurted out of nowhere, pouncing onto me. "**But he says they're just '**_**ack-quaint-trances**_**'.**"

"_**Acquaintances,**_" I corrected sharply. "And my love life is none of your concern, Young Master."

Me and my big beak. Now I really reeled him in.

"Love life, huh?"

"Well you know what I mean…"

"Tell me more about this Dalila person, why don't you?" proposed the mighty lion.

He turned towards the young prince, who flicked his tail excitedly.

"Can I come too?" he said with zeal.

"Eh…umm…not today, Son. We're just having a quick heart-to-heart. It's a beautiful day, why don't you play with Nala instead?"

"Pssh, alright." the cub pouted briefly before he galloped back home to Pride Rock.

I was perched onto his shoulder and we went along.

"So how'd you meet her?"

"We simply collided into one another the other day. We introduced ourselves and that was it."

"That's it?"

"Yep. I've barely talked to the girl and now, not a second goes by when I don't think about her."

"Love is unpredictable."

"Indeed, Sire."

"Perhaps you should get to know her. It's about time you settled down and what not." suggested Mufasa suavely.

"**And neglect my reporting duties?**" I interjected. "**I may love Dalila, but I love my job as well, Sire!**"

"So you _do_ love her?"

"Well…no…but, who am I kidding?"

"Well think what you want, Zazu." he responded in a calm demeanor. "Your job may seem important to you now, but keep in mind that this might be the last time a girl like _that_ shows up in your life. They don't come very often you know."

"And how do you know that she's so _spectacular_ and _rare_?"

"Because if she was just a plain old bird, she wouldn't have turned my trusted advisor into a lovesick lunatic," he laughed in a joking matter.

With that, we went our separate ways. While walking away, I took Mufasa's words into consideration. A girl as stunning as Dalila came around as often as Halley's Comet. To add insult to injury, I wasn't a spring chicken myself. I was already a bit too old to still be living the bachelor life. Heh. So maybe Mufasa _was_ right. Perhaps I should settle down with a nice hen, and start a family of my own. Maybe they'll follow in my footsteps and become honorable majordomos—just like their old man. In the midst of my thinking, I was abruptly distracted by a soft voice.

"Umm, excuse me, Zazu?"

I turned behind me, only to see that the source of that beautiful voice was no other but Dalila. A sudden tingly sensation took over my body. Her beauty was intoxicating. And she had a wonderful personality to back it up.

"Well good morning, Miss." I said politely. "What brings you here?"

"Well I saw you from afar and I figured you'd um…want to have brunch with me."

Her beak curled into a timid smile.

"I'd be delighted to." I replied nonchalantly, though I really felt like jumping for joy like a madman.

"Fantastic!" she said with a smile. "Follow me!"

I complied and I followed her to the lands that were just beyond the Prideland's borders. She led me up to her tree, a colossal acacia tree that stood nearly a hundred feet tall. Once she reached, she parted the leaves and I couldn't believe what I saw. The view was spectacular. Pride Rock looked about half its size from where we were. The herd migrated westward and the waterhole glistened as the sun shone down on the green lands.

"I love this view," she said to me in awe. "Don't you?"

"It's beautiful." I uttered. "I can see my home from here."

"Wow, really? Where is it?"

"Just that small tree right in front of Pride Rock."

"Oh, that's Pride Rock?" she asked giddily. "I've admired it for so long. Yet, I didn't know what it was called."

We admired the beauty for a little while longer.

"You must never get bored with this sight, do you?" I asked her finally.

"You'd be surprised. I don't have a lot friends or anything like that."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah…" she said solemnly. "That's kind of why I invited you here to eat with me. I figured you were a nice enough guy the day I met you, so I figured I'd get to know you a little more."

What a shame. I figured with such a sparkling personality, she'd be the talk of the town.

"But you seem like such a nice, young girl." I said as I plopped a sweet berry into my mouth. "Why would you be so lonely?"

"My father doesn't let me talk to those who aren't of royalty," she said. "He's pretty much planned my whole life out since I hatched. He doesn't want to _taint_ our blood."

"That's terrible. You should be destined to choose what you want to do with your life."

"Yes, but it's not that easy trying to talk with him." Dalila responded back, a pimply berry secured in the tip of her wings. "He can be a bit unreasonable."

Just as she plopped the pink berry into her beak, the portly bird who was so rude to me swooped in.

"Princess," she said with a curtsy. "Don't forget now, your suitor is coming in tonight. Your father insists that you be on your best behavior. He doesn't want you to embarrass him."

"Thank-you, Bisa." Dalila responded with a feigned smile.

Bisa and I exchanged looks, but said nothing. She immediately flew away.

"God, _another_ suitor?" she groaned in disgust. "This must've been the tenth suitor this week."

"Well, your father must want the best for you." I said to her.

"Nonsense!" she retorted. "He only wants what's best for him! That egotistical snob!"

She looked off at the view once again.

"And they're all the same." she said, lowering her voice a bit. "Conceited spoiled brats! That's all they are! They don't care about love. All they want is some trophy wife to gloat with—that's all."

When I peered closer to her, I could see that tears began to form in her eyes. I started to feel sorry for her.

"I don't want someone to be with me because of my status…I just want someone to be with me because they _want _to—you know Zazu?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I plopped another berry into my mouth. I couldn't bring myself to tell her my true feelings. I was afraid I'd humiliate myself. She lowered her eyes sadly and took another berry.

"So will you be alright?" I asked her, wrapping a wing around her body.

"I'll hold up, I guess." she scoffed.

I could tell she was a bit mad at me. She could tell I was hiding something from her.

"So I guess I'll be going now," I said as I readied to take off. "Nice meeting with you. We must do this again some other day."

"I guess…"

With a melancholy sigh, I took off and headed back to my own boring life as a bachelor in the Pridelands.

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**Well that was it! Stay tuned for chapter 3. And thanks for reviewing guys! It meant a lot! :)**


	3. A New Life in the Pridelands

***Gasp*! I was in such a rush to get Chapter 2 out, I forgot to respond to my reviewers. =( Forgive me, guys! **

**- kawaii-neko-chan99: Aww don't say that. I've read some of your TLK pieces and I liked them! :D**

**- kate: sure thing :/**

**- Johnny2b: Thanks bro. **

**- can'thinkofasuitableusername: Glad you waited all this time! Glad you like them too! :)**

**- TLK Nerd: Lmaoo. Apparently not.**

**- Emily642: Yeah, I heard about that too. Her name was supposed to be Binti or something, but she got cut out. It would've made a decent subplot of the sequel. :)**

**- Wolf's Willow: Glad you like it! Haha! But I've seen funnier stuff here. They had a Jeopardy spoof fanfic on here that had me laughing! And that bloopers fanfiction too. I saw it here the other day. But I can't remember who wrote it! :/ **

**Well, here's chapter 3 for you!**

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~3~

"So, Zazu, did you _kissssssss _her?" Simba teased.

He leaped around me as I desolately ambled towards my tree.

"C'mon Banana Beak, what are you hiding from me?"

I wish he'd just give it a rest already.

"Tell us what happened, Zazu." Nala begged. "_Pleaseeee?_ Pretty please?"

"I'm not going to confine my deepest, darkest secrets to _immature_ cubs such as _**yourselves**_," I spat. "Now, Young Master, you and young friend, kindly butt out"

"C'mon, Bird Brain, don't be such a party pooper!" the cub scowled. "No wonder Dalila won't kiss ya!"

I ignored him for some time before he finally got the message and the devilish duo headed home to bug someone else for a change. I lay in my nest, staring up at the little pieces of the blue sky that filtered through the tree's green leaves. Why didn't I just tell her how I really felt? God, I must've crushed that poor girl's heart. It's sad really. The girl has no say as in who she can marry and who she can't. It's as if she's just a pawn under her father's rule. In the midst of my thoughts, my eyes closed and I fell asleep on the spot.

* * *

By the time I woke up, it was the dead of night. I must've been _really_ tired. Once I woke up, I noticed a repetitive hissing sound coming from ground level. I peeked out of my tree and saw the young hornbill looking up at me.

"D-Dalila?" I stammered. "What are you doing here? You father will worry!"

"Forget him!" she said in sobs. "I hate him! I hate all of them!"

Tears were pouring down her face as she looked up at me. I couldn't leave her out in the cold like this. I called her up to my nest and she gratefully accepted my invitation.

"Keep in mind that this nest wasn't built for two," I added as I tried to make us both comfortable.

It was a little cramped but Dalila wrapped her wings around me and brought herself closer.

"Now tell me, what's wrong?" I asked her in a worried tone.

"I-it was horrible," she sniveled. "That stupid suitor came in…and…and—."

"Just calm down and tell me what happened,"

She took a deep sigh and then she looked up at me. Her eyes were bloodshot and still wet with sorrowful tears.

"The suitor…he came in about a few hours ago," she said once she regained her composure. "He was the worst of them all. He was so snobbish and rude when no one was looking. He had this horrendous personality. He'd always ogle me like some sort of sexual deviant. I told him to stop and he said that I had no say and how I should just stand there and look beautiful."

I wiped her impeding tears away.

"Then, when I shouted back at him, he attacked. I swear, Zazu, I couldn't breathe. His wing was wrapped so tight around my neck, and those talons of his were pressed against my stomach. They would've probably went through if he'd apply just a little more pressure. He would've killed me—_**killed**_ me. I fought him off and scratched him on his wing. I finally got him off of me, and once he screamed, my father must've heard because I heard footsteps coming our way. By the time my father came in, out feathers were in a mess, and that suitor was on the ground, hissing in pain as the burning sensation in his wings intensified. Without hesitating, my father roared at me and ran a paw through my right cheek. I fell hard onto the ground, a fresh open wound on my face."

She turned the injured cheek towards me so I could see. It was closed up partially but still looked awful. I could only imagine the ordeal. Such a beautiful, young bird like her didn't deserve all of that in one night—especially from her own father.

"Then he said to me, 'You're an embarrassment! You make me ashamed to be your father.' I was still on the ground shaking and crying. Bisa came from the other hollow to tend to me and cradle me. He picked up my suitor off the floor and carried _him_ away. Imagine! He'd choose that scumbag over me—his own _**goddamn**_ flesh and blood!"

She held me tighter and brushed her face against my chest.

"And that night, when Bisa cared for me, she tried to feed me this bull, saying that my father was only looking out for me and was caught in the heat of the moment. Hah! Even if I was foaming out the mouth, I would _**never**_ take it out on my children—if I ever have any. So after she left, and the activity in the lands died down, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. I escaped from my tree hollow and I sped off to the Pridelands."

"But what if they're looking for you?" I asked her worriedly.

Though I seemed to be infatuated with Dalila, I didn't want to get caught up in her familial matters—especially her father. It would be difficult explaining why a bird twice his child's age was harboring her miles from home.

"I'd always stare at that view and think, 'What if I just left, and went there? I'd be free of all this madness. I'd live the life that I'd always wanted to live.'"

Then she turned to me with a modest smile.

"And we can make that happen, Zazu." she continued. "Just you and me."

"_No! Stop this madness, Dalila! You need to go back home __**now**__ before you make things worse!_" I thought to myself.

I couldn't bear to say those words to her. She was just too delicate to leave to fend for herself. And let's be honest. I was madly in love with the girl. I wouldn't leave her out in the cold all by herself. A lump formed in my throat as I thought about the consequences that could come my way once anyone realized I was sheltering this young runaway, who in addition, was also a princess.

"Dalila, can I talk you out of this?" I hesitated. "I mean, you—."

Before I could even finish my sentence, she latched onto me, those magnificent topaz eyes that I'd fallen head over heels in love with fastened onto mine.

"But I love you, Zazu." she said, almost in a whimper. "Don't you love me?"

"Well of course," I insisted. "I love you a lot, but—."

I couldn't even finish. Dalila immediately pressed her beak against mines. Her wings wrapped around my body and her eyes opened gracefully as she broke away with a smile on her face. It would be incredibly asinine to allow this young woman to stay with me, but being of the male species and having…erm…certain *_needs_* I needed to fulfill, I foolishly gave into her pleas—and the rest is history.

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**Do you think the ending was a little too suggestive or racy guys? :P I had to put the rating up to a T because of that scene. The next chapter should be coming in about another week or two. Don't forget to review!**


	4. Newfound Difficulties

**- Emily642: Nope. :P She's about in her late-teens to early 20's in bird years. xD Thanks!**

**- kate: Thanks, okay. **

**- can'thinkofasuitableusername: Glad you liked the scene. Thanks for reading!**

**- Wolf's Willow: Glad it made you laugh, lmao. Thanks for keeping up with the chapters! **

**Enjoy!**

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~4~

"Time to wake up," Dalila said with a smile as she nudged the left half of my body with her wings.

I groaned wearily and shifted to the other side. She persisted until I was fully roused.

"What things are we going to do today?" she said with a smile.

I suddenly remembered. Her father might've had a search party looking for her as we spoke. I couldn't risk making her go back home, nor could I risk getting in trouble for guarding over her. Imagine the reputation I'll acquire if anyone were to find out. I can see it now. _Creepy_ _Old Hornbill Coops Up Young, Dazzling Princess in Nest._ My life would be ruined. Mufasa would be so ashamed to have me as his advisor. I'd be the laughing stock of all of Africa.

"Is everything alright, Zazu?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry Dalila," I said, pushing her into the tree. "But I can't have anyone finding out about _us_."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked me sadly. "Is it me?"

"No, it's not you—of course it's not you," I insisted. "It's just that your father might still be worried and he'll have his men search through thick and thin for you. Just give it some time."

Dalila seemed a little depressed.

"I promise I'll be back soon," I said before I took off from the tree.

I found Mufasa a few minutes from my home. Young Master and his future queen were giggling and chasing one another a few yards from him in the long stalks of spring green blades of grass.

"Good morning, Sire." I said heartily.

"Good morning, Zazu." Mufasa roared with enthusiasm.

He turned his head to see if Simba and Nala were still playing with one another and then he looked at me.

"So how's _Dalila_?" he asked, lowering his voice a few decibels so the cubs wouldn't hear.

He didn't ask about the report. Oh well then. Today was rather eventless anyway.

"Sire, there's something I must tell you," I said modestly. "She ran off from home—and now she lives with me."

"Y-you're serious?"

"I'm afraid it's true." I responded remorsefully. "She told me her father was controlling and hit her, and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her out there. So young and defenseless."

I prayed that he wouldn't fire me on the spot. But thankfully, Mufasa was a lot more understanding than I thought he'd be.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into," he said to me. "If you really love her, I think you should keep her there. Ultimately, the one who's most responsible in this scenario and the outcomes of it is _you_."

"Daaaaaaaaaddddd," Simba moaned impatiently, bringing out discussion to a sudden end. "You promised to take us to the waterhole! Hurrryyyyyyyyy!"

Mufasa quickly obliged to his young son and the trio were long gone. I thought I'd head back home and keep Dalila company. She must've been so sad in that tree all by herself. I quickly swooped towards a nearby shrub, picking up any flowers I could find. Hopefully, that gesture would show her that I truly cared a lot about her. I secured them in my beak and swiftly flew back home. I parted the leaves with my feet and found her taking apart and reweaving my nest. It looked a lot bigger than before. She looked at me and smiled.

"You're back so soon!" she said, greeting me with a hug. "Are these for me?"

She gently cradled the bouquet of yellow and red flowers in her wings.

"Lilies, my favorite." she said in awe. "You must really know me."

She gazed at the small pieces of sky that filtered through the tree.

"We should go watch the clouds—just you and me." she suggested, grabbing hold of my wing.

I froze at the thought of it.

"Eh-he-he, but today's so cold and murky," I said, bringing her back into the home.

"But Zazu, I—."

"Just give it a while, dear." I said, patting her wing. "Soon, you'll be able to roam freely without the worry of having to go back home."

Her eager grin soon turned into an angry glare. Before I could talk her out of it, she turned away.

"Fine!" she scoffed. "I didn't want to go out anyway."

My heart dropped. It broke my heart to see her so solemn.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I asked her with concern.

"Just go!" she hissed.

Where was the bubbly personality that reeled me into her spell those few days ago? It was like she was a completely different person. I sadly left the nest and headed outside towards the waterhole. On my way there, I heard two young voices screaming.

"Zazu, there's hyenas in the Pridelands!" Nala said frantically, her chest heaving up and down in effort. "Simba's dad is out there fighting them all by himself!"

_**HYENAS?**_ Never in my life did I let _**ONE**_ of those mangy canines set a paw into the Pridelands without notifying Mufasa. Come to realize that almost half a dozen of them snuck in without me knowing. What's gotten into me?

"Are you two alright?" I asked, checking the cubs for any bruises.

They nodded, each with fearful looks in their eyes.

"Come children, we must get home now." I said as I ushered the trembling cubs back to safety.

We quickly rushed to Pride Rock.

"Ladies, hyenas are in the Pridelands," I squawked in an urgent tone. "We must go out there and help Mufasa!"

They quickly complied and about five of them ran after me as I soared towards the scene. We stopped at the waterhole, where four or five of them were biting and gnawing at the king. The lionesses dispatched and the hyenas were soon outmatched. The moronic creatures fled back to the Elephant Graveyard and Mufasa kept watch for a few more second before he turned away. He had a serious limp and some scratches all over his body.

"Help him home!" I ordered. "I'll fetch Rafiki."

I flew over to Rafiki's tree and swooped in.

"Mufasa's injured badly, and he needs your help," I panted, looking up at the slouching mandrill.

"Don't worriee, my frand!" he cackled, picking up a hollowed out fruit with a berry brown potion in it. "Ol Rafeekee is on de way!"

* * *

Mufasa would be just fine. I let out a sigh of relief after I heard the news. I'd be so overwhelmed with guilt if he got seriously injured on account of my carelessness. When the commotion died down, I came towards him. He was lying down. He seemed a bit more relaxed.

"Are you still in pain, Sire?" I asked him.

"No, I'm fine." he insisted.

"Sire, let me just say that I'm **so** sorry for what happened."

"No, it's alright, it was just a mistake."

"No! You don't understand. I've _**never**_ made a mistake with these types of situations. Imagine if one of those hyenas ran after the cubs instead? This could've had a worse outcome and—."

"Zazu, you should go and get some rest. You've been acting a bit peculiar lately."

I grudgingly took his advice and flew out of the den. I headed back to the nest. Hopefully, Dalila wasn't too mad at me.

"Well you finally came back after four hours," she said.

I could tell she was a bit peeved by my tardiness.

"I'm sorry, Dalila." I said to her, kissing her on her wing. "I've been acting like a jerk lately, and I didn't give much concern to your interest."

I held her chin up with my wing. She still scowled at me before trying to turn away.

"So tonight, I'm going to make it up to you," I said, lifting her onto her two feet. "You'll be my number one priority—and it'll be just the two of us."

Her face lit up almost immediately.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked happily.

"I promise," I smiled.

Dalila brought me close to her and wrapped her wings tightly around me.

"Thank you so much, Zazu!" she squealed with delight.

I looked outside and the moon was almost at its peak. I called for her and we both flew off towards the valley that was north of the lands.

* * *

**Sucky ending. I didn't know how to end this chapter. Well, don't forget to leave your feedback! :)**


	5. True Colors

**- can'thinofasuitableusername: He will eventually. :( **

**- Wolf's Willow: Unfortunately not. You'll figure out what happens to her in this chapter though! And I get my names from a baby names website, and apparently, Dalila means "_Gentle_". Hope I helped! And thanks for reading!**

**- Emily642: You're in a play? Cool. Is it an original piece or is it your school's version of some other big play? True, Dalila's acting like a brat. Perhaps this wasn't the type of life she thought she'd have once she ran away. **

**- Guest: Good news…the story's not dead! I know I haven't updated in a while for many reasons: one being that I started becoming very serious with this plot, and I had to take some time off because I kept adding and taking out stuff, and I have two other stories and at least three college essays to work on. (-_-")FML. **

**Thanks for your dedication to this story and your continuous words of motivation guys! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

~5~

In a few moments, the only light that guided us was the bright, luminous moon and the small specks of stars the appeared ever so often.

"How much longer, Zazu?" Dalila exclaimed. "My wings feel like they're going to fall off."

"Don't worry, Princess." I replied eagerly. "We'll have plenty of time to rest once we arrive."

Dalila smiled at me and we both took off full speed towards the lively green forests ahead. We landed gracefully, but Dalila was very bewildered.

"This doesn't look very romantic," she commented.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, my dear." I smiled as I parted the leaves in a thicket, revealing the beauty behind the veil of green.

Dalila's eyes glistened in awe as she looked at the scene. It was truly beautiful. A valley that flourished with bright green trees and plants. A waterfall stood north of the valley and ended halfway through, forming a pool of crystal-clear water.

"It's beautiful," she said with a smile. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Well someone just needed to show you how special you really are," I said in awe as I cradled her idle wing in mine.

That was a new one for me. The last time I've been on a date, rainbows were in black-and-white and Pride Rock was just a little pebble. Dalila eagerly flew towards the ground level and looked up at the roaring falls with excitement. For years, this valley remained a mystery. It was only a few weeks ago when I came across it after Simba and a few other cubs walked into the green utopia one day. Since then, the abandoned volley has served as a place of solitude and serenity for me. Once we got settled, Dalila went to pick several berries and bugs to eat. The atmosphere was truly fantastic. The only thing that could be heard was the distant roar of the waterfalls and the soft, harmonic tune an orchestra of crickets made nearby.

"You know, Zazu—you know so many beautiful places,"

I nodded in agreement, my attention drawn onto her riveting features.

"I wish I had the types of privileges that you do." she said eagerly. "To go anywhere you want, do anything you wanna do! I swear, all my life, my whole family's been sheltered by my father."

"Wait…there's more?"

"My mother," the blue bird started sadly. "She was sort of…sort of like the lightning rod that attracted all of my father's anger. Whenever she shot back at him, he'd lash out at her. Even if he got mad over something that had nothing to do with her, somehow, all that anger would channel into pain that he'd soon inflict onto her. Sometimes, things got so heated that it actually became physical. She was too afraid to even sleep in the same nest as him."

"That's horrible, Dalila." I muttered remorsefully, my wing securely gripped across her opposite shoulder.

"Then…one rainy night, my father screamed out loud. He dashed through every tree in our kingdom. He thoroughly scanned every hollow of every tree and every patch of each shrub. She took off in the dead of night."

"I'm so sorry," I scowled, not knowing what to say that could bring any comfort to her.

"S-she was so petrified that she didn't even say goodbye. It was all that _**royalty**_ crap got to his head! It jumbled his mind."

"What do you mean?"

Dalila sighed again before she nestled herself deeper into my hold.

"He wasn't born into royalty. He and my mother met almost sort of like how we did. He wasn't always like this. Bisa told me that he was charming, and generous, and very modest. It wasn't until my grandfather passed away and he claimed the throne that he started acting like this. All that power…and so soon, it messed him up. You know…he loved her Zazu, he really did."

She looked at me, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

"You know, Zazu. If _we_ ever do become something more than this, promise me you won't act like him."

My wing brushed against her wet cheeks and we both smiled at one another.

"My lady, you're delicate and beautiful, and I'd never do anything to someone as charming and sparkling as you are."

She locked her gaze onto the grassy terrain as her smile trembled with insincerity, but I was too intoxicated by unending lust to give it much thought. My desires clouded whatever intentions Dalila had in store for me. If I was in my right mind, I would've likely seen that she was definitely hiding something from me. But my instincts overwhelmed that tiny little voice in my head that taught me right from wrong and I stupidly gave into my masculine needs. That night was one that I've never experienced in my long life. She was gentle and soft, but still fought my gaze. She lay next to me, her beak curled into a miniscule grin as our beaks brushed against one another's.

"Good night," she sung softly, her eyes glistening even in the dimly lit valley.

"Good night, my belle," I replied tenderly as we shut our eyes in unison.

* * *

I slept well into the afternoon. Dalila was nowhere in sight. Worried that one of her father's goons got a hold of her, I was jolted right out of my weariness and searched every nook and cranny for her. She was nowhere to be found.

"Dalila!" I cried out in concern. "Dalila! Please if you can hear me, just let me know you're alright!"

Nothing.

"**DALILA!**"

Only the distant roar of the falls responded to my worry filled cries. After a few more cries with no results, I sadly ambled back towards my nest, knowing that whatever happened to the beautiful teal plumaged bird—she was gone. I began to ponder the thought of why Dalila would just simply vanish. It couldn't have been a predator. I would've definitely heard a scream of some sort. Besides, why would they snatch her and leave me unharmed? Could it have been her father? No… If it was, he would've captured me too. No father would dare let the man who harbored his daughter walk free. There was no doubt in my mind that she'd left the scene. On the way towards my nest, the familiar teal plumage caught my eye.

"Dalila?" I muttered in shock.

She quickly looked away. A pair of tall, well-built birds, presumably hawks, with scars and scratch marks all over their dirt brown feathers glared at me as I walked closer to them.

"Hey, Birdie!" one spat in a gruff, fiery voice as I approached them.

"Why do you have that bird?" I inquired a hint of fake ruthlessness in my voice.

The hawks exchanged looks and stared me down with their narrow, deathly brown eyes.

"Zazu, please just go before they hurt you!" Dalila ordered.

"Shut up!" one of the falcons hissed in frustration as he ran a wing across the princess' face. "You don't speak until your father's present."

"_**F-Father?**_" I faltered, stepping back from the two burly birds. "I must be going, my king needs me!"

"You're not going anywhere!" one of the falcons said, latching onto my neck with his talons. "One more move and I'll kill you on the spot, stooge."

I complied reluctantly and he pushed me in front of him and ordered me to walk North. His eyes were locked onto me as I sadly plodded towards Dalila's home to confront her abusive father. Dalila said nothing to me, or anyone for that matter. I could hear sobs escape her beak from where I was walking. I gulped heavily as we got closer to the borders. I could only imagine how furious her father would be once he realized some old geezer like me kept his daughter away from him for these few days. And to think all of this happened from one measly encounter at the waterhole.

* * *

**Well, here was chapter 5. Very very VERYYYY overdue! Expect an update about a week from now! Or maybe a few days, not too sure. **

**Peace out!**


	6. Deception

**- simba1928: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :) And you'll find out now!**

**- PastelandPaint: Alright! Thanks for reading! **

**- Emily642: Sounds like fun! Thanks for checking up with the story! **

**- can'thinkofasuitableusername: Yep! Read on to see if their relationship gets a little less rocky. **

**Well, it's 12:19 in the morning here in New York, and here's Chapter 6 for you fellas. :D**

* * *

~6~

So here I am. All alone in this quaint little prison cell—which is so sophisticatedly built I must say. It's basically a ground level hollow with a caved in window with very narrow, but thick bars and a large, heavy stone one of those hawks rolled towards the mouth to keep me from escaping. Quite an accomplishment, for a bunch of birds at least. Anyway, lost in boredom, I looked around. The cell is dirty and littered with bird feathers, and other…smelly unmentionables. Nonsensical drawings were carved into each of the hollow's walls. I could faintly hear the conversation coming from outside. It was a gruff voice, which I assumed to be one of the falcons, and the soft angelic voice that I'd fallen in love with that week ago. Gah, I sound so ridiculous saying that.

"_Daddy, please spare him._" Dalila begged. "_He didn't want to take me in. I chose to leave and he felt sorry for me and let me inside._"

"**Enough out of you!**" he roared. "Now Bisa will escort you to your tree and you stay there before I turn that face of yours into a messy pulp."

Despite how hopping mad I was at her, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. I heard her father command for one of his hawk goons to open the gates so he could see me face-to-face, and they immediately complied.

"I want to see the sicko with my own two eyes,"

Like he should talk. Anyone who lays their hands on any female should be locked away from the rest of humanity. Hmmm, you know, I always figured that when I met that one special woman, she'd ultimately introduce me to her patriarch, and I'd fidget nervously, gussying up, smoothing out any disarrayed feathers that jutted out from the others. But this was the complete opposite. My legs had a nervous tremor as the boulder dragged along the ground. I took a large gulp, worried that I'd be leaving this place without a wing or a leg—or even worse—I wouldn't be leaving at all. The hawk groaned in effort as he pushed the colossal boulder away and the first thing I saw was Dalila's paternal figure, his eyes narrowed in anger and his beak curled into a snarl.

"Greetings," I chuckled nervously as I took a step forward.

Each hawk latched onto me like that did in the waterhole, fearing I'd hurt their _precious_ king. Speaking of the devil, he didn't seem as threatening as Dalila portrayed him to be. We stood about the same height, but I was a tad bit taller than the miniature monarch was. But he sure did have a heck of a voice! It was deep and intimidating, and you'd never figure that it'd come from such a tiny little bird like him. I couldn't help but burst in laughter.

"What's so funny?" roared the king.

I looked down at him, erupting into laughter once more.

"I'm sorry, your majesty." I said in a fit of chuckles. "I just didn't expect to be rounded up by a little hummingbird!"

The king grew red in the face, and even his goons couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Stop laughing this instant, _**fool**_!" he spat in a fiery tone.

I found it rather difficult to take him seriously due to his stature.

"Oh I'm sorry, your majesty. I really am." I sighed, my laughter dying down.

After one last titter, the king glared at me with narrowed eyes.

"You'll have all the time to laugh once I throw you in the cell!" he said sinisterly.

_Oh great…_

"Hold onto that dodo and follow me!" he ordered as he stormed away.

The hawks complied and my feet dragged along the path. They lead me to this grassy area with a stump jutting from the terrain, where the king got up. The other birds that resided in the kingdom quickly gathered together to serve as spectators to the upcoming trial. Dalila quietly loomed into the crowd of jurors. She almost went by unnoticed, caught in the flurry of the commotion and murmur.

"SILENCE!" one of the hawks roared at the top of his lungs, bringing the cacophony to a sudden stop.

All eyes faced up to the four of us and the king paced back and forth, throwing non-stop questions at me.

"Why did you take my daughter?"

"What did you do with her?"

"What made you think you could get away with this heinous crime?"

"For the millionth time, your majesty, she came to me. I didn't simply snatch her from her home—."

"**Lies!**"

"I'm not lying!" I retorted angrily. "If you don't believe me, let's just see what Dalila has to say."

She immediately perked up, inching her way further into the crowd. The fat bird that I saw when we first met was with her, motioning for her to go up and speak.

"Come forth, my daughter," the king ordered in his gruff voice. "Tell us what really happened that night."

She reluctantly complied and she appeared before us, standing about a foot away from me and the hawks.

"What happened the night of your disappearance?" he asked calmly. "I want to see if this joker's story is credible."

She squeezed her wing, swaying back and forth, quickly looking back at forth at her father and I. She seemed unsure and scared.

"Please don't lie, Dalila." I begged. "My freedom is at stake—."

"**LET HER TALK.**" the hawk roared, kicking me in my side.

"Well…he's right," the bird spoke softly. "I _did_ flee that night. But…but…I realized it was all a horrible mistake…"

My eyes shot open at the sound of those words.

"_**WHAT?"**_I shouted in my head.

"Yes, it's true," she continued. "I thought that being with Zazu would spite my father and convince him to change his ways. However, it was all a mere act of rebellion and I didn't love him."

My heart grew heavy with sadness. To think that I invited her into her home in her time of need, held her close when she cried, dried her tears as they fell, and shared such passionate moments with her that I'd never experienced with any other bird of the opposite sex—and she drops a bomb like this. I was ready to yell at her, break from my restraints and unleash my immense anger, but I was jolted back into reality by the strong tugging on my body.

"**Take this predator away!**" commanded the father. "Lock him in the cell for the rest of his days. I'll enjoy seeing him die with my very own eyes."

The eyes of the civilians lingered onto me as I was dragged back into the unkempt dungeon. I could feel their glares piercing through my body. I would forever have this label on my back, tarnishing my legacy. Zazu, the bird who took that young princess in when she was beaten? The one who loved her with all his heart, while she toyed with his feelings and backstabbed him when their little rendezvous was unearthed? One of the hawks chuckled sinisterly as he threw me against the cell, and I bashed my head against the walls. Everything was a blur from then on, and I quickly passed out from the blow.

* * *

I don't know what happened, but once I woke up, it was already past sunset and the nocturnal, pitch-black darkness filtered into my cell.

"_This stone is too heavy,_" someone whispered outside.

"_Come on, we'll push together!_" another said in a hushed voice. "_I can't watch him die in there._"

"_I think you've done enough, princess._"

"_Just push harder!_"

The stone was pushed about halfway through and the two women peeped inside. I looked up, groaning in pain as my vision normalized itself.

"D-Dalila?" I moaned.

"Zazu, you're alright!" she said with excitement as she smiled.

"I'm not taking part in this," Bisa frowned as she flew off. "Let you two settle your affairs on your own."

"Zazu, why won't you look at me?" the bird whimpered with concern.

"Do you _**really**_ expect me to talk to you again after all you've put me through?" I spoke scornfully.

"Zazu, you have to understand. I didn't mean anything I said up there!"

Poppycock. I wasn't falling for any of it.

"If you really cared about our relationship, you wouldn't have said those humiliating lies."

"Please, just give me another chance!" wept the bird.

"**Enough chances!**" I retorted in frustration. "Ever since you waltzed into my life, I've been having a whole load of misfortunes burden me. I can't sleep right, or think right, and I nearly caused my king's death because I was so pre-occupied in making you happy—only to have you go and embarrass me with these filthy lies! **Do you know how much that hurt?**"

Dalila was silenced and she looked away for a while. Once she looked back up, her demeanor was completely different from the one that I'd fallen in love with. Her eyes were narrowed in anger, and her irises had a fiery, angry passion ignited in them.

"You know what, maybe you should just go!" she scoffed.

"**Will do!**" I replied nonchalantly. "Good riddens, Missus."

I quickly flew away before anyone could notice I was freed from my cell. As I flew off, I could hear Dalila's choked sobs, but I still flew away. It seemed that no matter how much I wanted to deny it or put it in the back of my mind—I was dealing with a child.

* * *

**Is this the end of Zazu and Dalila's relationship? Tune in for more! Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. xD **


	7. Me? A Father?

**ViolaViolette: I'm glad you think the canons are in character. Thanks for reading!**

**Emily642: I will. Thanks for reading!  
Simba1928: *troll face XD* Awww, thanks! :)**

**Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Thanks! And I bet she will in time. **

**Well here's chapter 7 for you fellas. :)**

* * *

~7~

Once I flew back home, everything was back to its usual self. I was once again the strong, work-hungry advisor everyone came to know and love—with the exception of having the little fate I had in the opposite sex irreversibly crushed into smithereens. Simba and Nala frolicked through the grass, pouncing on one another in fits of giggles and laughs. They were still too young to notice the petty signs of what would soon blossom into a deep love for one another. Wallowing around with the feelings of eternal loneliness and Dalila's lies repressed in my memories really brought down my spirit, much to the cub's dismay.

"What's the matter, Banana Beak?" the golden cub questioned, hoping to get a rise out of me.

"Simba!" Nala snapped coldly. "Don't be so mean—his girlfriend just broke up with him."

"She was _**not**_ my girlfriend, child." I retorted in frustration. "Now do me a favor and never mention her name in my presence again."

"Geez, who woke up on the wrong side of the nest this morning?" scoffed Simba.

He scurried away, with Nala right behind him, colliding into the golden figure in the corner of my eye.

"You haven't been giving Zazu too much trouble, now have you?" he chortled, his law rustling the skimpy muff of uniformly golden fur on his son's head.

"No, he's heartbroken…" Nala said nonchalantly, triggering a hearty laugh from Mufasa.

"You two head back to Pride Rock, while Zazu and I have a talk," he ordered calmly, his head motioning up, beckoning me to come forward.

"Why do you always get rid of us when the juicy details come in?" the prince inquired with a sly grin stretched across his muzzle.

"Yeah, Simba's dad! _We_ wanna hear too!" Nala chirped eagerly, glued to her friend, their tails flicking fervently in all directions.

The king chuckled gruffly and replied with the typical _I'll tell you guys when you're a bit older_ bit and the cubs, defeated but content with Mufasa's response galloped energetically back to Pride Rock to find other things to keep themselves occupied.

"Now, what's on your mind?" Mufasa asked once the prying cubs were out of earshot.

I quickly perched myself onto his shoulder and we departed from the scene and headed to the waterhole.

"She'd completely changed from when I met her." I spoke. "She'd turn from a bashful, classy young lady into—well a snotty, obnoxious teenager. That I could put up with, but I can't believe after all the love, attention and hospitality I gave her, she could just turn around and betray me like that!"

"Like what?" he asked.

"In the middle of the night, she took off from her sleeping spot and got caught by her father's guards. You wouldn't believe the things I had to go through. I can't even tell you what went on, because it's just too embarrassing. But the thing that really got to me the most was when she said to everyone that she had no true feelings for me—it was all just rebellion geared towards her father."

"I'm sorry," Mufasa uttered, trying his best to keep me happy. "You didn't deserve to be put through all of that."

"It's alright, Sire." I sighed. "Perhaps this whole _love_ thing just isn't cut out for someone like me."

"Don't be so discouraged. There's plenty of other fish in the sea."

"I suppose," I pouted as I glided from my king's shoulder and back towards my nest. "I think I'll be retreating to my own home now."

"So I'll see you tomorrow, same time?" Mufasa called out to me and I flew away.

"Positive," I beamed.

Suddenly, my life didn't feel like some cheesy 80's love ballad. I realized, despite the cliché story of love, lust, and ultimately rejection, I was finally back to my normal self. Who needed women anyway? I have my heart set on only one lady, and her name is Sweet Lady Morning Report.

"God, who am I kidding?" I sighed as I turned onto my side and fell asleep.

* * *

About two or three weeks had passed since I put that ordeal behind me. I finally got all that heartbreak out of my system. It was hard, but it was worth it! I felt like the old me again! I woke up cheerfully, ready for another day as Mufasa's royal advisor.

"Aaaah, good morning sun!" I chirped with enthusiasm as I parted the leaves, ready to take on another day.

It felt like a world had just been lifted off my shoulders? Love?! Feh. There's no need for love when you have the whole Pridelands groveling at your feet because of your importance and ties to the king.

"Good morning, Sire!" I grinned. "Everything is _perfect_ today. There's not a problem in sight."

"Well aren't you happy?" he responded with a cocked brow. "What's gotten into you lately? This isn't about _you-know-who_, is it?"

"Oh of course not, Sire!" I laughed. "It's been so long already—I don't even remember her name!"

He chuckled lightly and only replied merely,

"If you insist. Why not come with me to the waterhole to do a little bit of patrolling before we head back, huh?"

"If you wish, Sire." I responded as I flew onto his right shoulder blade and we headed forth.

* * *

At the waterhole, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The herd got their share, while the elephants lingered in their usual spots, and everyone knew to stay clear of the crocodile's territory.

"You seem a little too cheery to get over someone you loved so much," Mufasa finally told me after a moment of silence.

"She's not worth my time, Sire." I said in a prudish tone. "This is the last time I speak of her or even acknowledge her."

Before Mufasa could even reply, a sharp cry pierced through the tranquil atmosphere and caught Mufasa and I's attention. We turned to the source—a nearby jackalberry tree that was rooted just a few yards from our spot.

"Zazu, fly up there and see what's wrong!"

I complied and I quickly darted to the highest branch and zipped through the leaves to find the damsel in distress. I accidentally slammed into a ball of blue feathers and we both fell onto another branch that was much lower than my intended target.

"This is all too familiar. I'm sorry for the trouble, Madame." I groaned as I lifted myself from the branch.

I offered her my wing and I helped steady her back to her feet.

"Are you alright?" I inquired as she swiftly turned her head towards mine.

Our eyes met and we both darted away in utter shock.

"**Zazu?!**"

"**D-Dalila!? You were the one who screamed?**"

She nodded. My heavens! She was barely recognizable. Her feathers were in disarray, her legs had a slight nervous tremor to them, and she had a tired look in her usually lively blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I asked angrily. "Come to break another poor, unsuspecting bird's heart?"

"No, Zazu!" Dalila insisted. "It's not like that at all! I didn't mean any of those things I said—I was just so scared, you have to believe me!"

"That doesn't explain why you're back here." I scowled, losing my patience with each coming second. "And why were you screaming?!"

"There was a snake in our nest?"

"Wait...**our**? **There IS another one—isn't there****?!**" I yelled in the heat of the moment.

"_**No!**_" she belted out in frustration.

She became silent again and looked down with immense guilt and told me to follow her.

"I have something to show you…" she spoke softly.

"I don't have time for this, child, I—."

"_Please…?_"

She scurried into a thicket of green and yellow leaves and parted them, revealing two perfectly round eggs caked in speckles of brown dirt. In a day, I'd fallen in love with a girl, in a week, she leaves me, and a few weeks later, I'm the father of her chicks. Just when I thought it was over, I'm hit with another bombshell. Perfect.

* * *

**Well, that was it! Stay tuned for chapter 8. **


	8. Inhibited Feelings

**Here's Chapter 8, and it's a bit late. (Wow…that rhymed. xD) Anyway, I got a new laptop and my old desktop is getting cleaned so my little brother can use it. (: So, it took a while for this chapter to get out due to my limited access to Microsoft Word. Sorry about that. Now onto the reviews: **

**-Wolf's Willow: Awww, even Zazu isn't as mature as he seems to be. Everyone has a little child in them….or in this case, poor, unsuspecting teen… XD Thanks for reading + reviewing.**

**- SImba1928: You know it! XD Thanks!**

**- Emily642: That's just about what everyone's saying in their heads right about now. Lol. Thanks for reading!**

**- can'thinkofasuitablusername: Thank you so much! I'm glad you think he's in character, cause I've been working pretty hard on it, believe it or not. :P Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Now, here's Chapter 8.**

* * *

~8~

So if you've been actively reading for the past seven segments of this story about my rollercoaster of a love life, you pretty much know just about what's happened to me in these past few weeks. My story of foolish love, unforgettable heartbreak, and sudden, but possibly _predictable_ revelations. Dealing with such events just rushing towards me like an irate swarm of killer bees put such a heavy strain on my poor, lonely heart, only to find out that I've stupidly conceived two chicks with the feathered she-devil I was supposed to loathe for as long as I lived. Well, before I ramble on, let's continue with the story—shall we not? I'm sure you're all _at the edge of your seats_ wondering what's gonna happen, right? Heh…just hang in there, chums. Only a few more chapters to go.

"**H-How did this happen?!**" I exclaimed, trying my best not to go foaming in the mouth and flailing around like a lunatic.

"How do you think?" she scoffed back at me bitterly.

It was bit out of character for someone like her, but I couldn't blame her. I did ask a rather stupid question anyway. Before I could even open my beak, she said,

"Well it doesn't matter anyway? I'm screwed for life basically."

My anger melted away at the sight of how melancholy she'd become in so little time.

"Who's helping you take care of them?" I questioned remorsefully.

"Bisa," she sighed. "But I'm running her ragged with all this stress. She doesn't deserve it."

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Then I'll help you…"

"What?" she uttered in disbelief. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," I nodded. "I'm _half_ responsible for this little dilemma. It's only right if I take responsibility for my actions, despite our past."

A smile of relief came across her beak.

"_**Thank you so much!**_" she exclaimed, bringing me into a tight hug. "I swear, Zazu, things will be different this time. I love you and—."

"Wait," I interjected, prying her tightly coiled wings off my body. "I _**never**_ said we were going back into a relationship."

I saw her smile immediately diminish at the sound of those words, but I continued on.

"I mean, we're just doing this for the children's sake—are we not?"

"Umm…yeah." she insisted, looking down at the floor with gloom. "I guess I just got a bit carried away."

She scuffled a bit, looking a bit nervous, and feeling a bit silly, but she accepted my offer nevertheless and I eagerly stayed by her side as the date of the hatching grew closer. This went on for about two weeks and I slowly transitioned from my own quaint little nest barely built for two to Dalila's large and humble home. It was woven perfectly and not a twig was amiss. It was near perfection. Bisa crafted a tiny little nest just a few branches above us. She was still rather rude to me despite my generosity towards her, but Dalila insisted that I shake it off, since _**Bisa**_ is a bit uncomfortable around new faces. Feh, what baloney. Though she was a rude one, she was very motherly towards Dalila and was always willing to lend a helping hand to her when she was just about ready to rip her feathers out. I can't blame her. The chicks weren't even born yet, and they were already quite a handful. I can't count how many times the three of us had to chase away snakes and lizards that tried to get away with one of the young ones. I couldn't even get an ounce of sleep, because I was so worried for the eggs' will-being. Just imagine when they're flying and what not. Utter pandemonium will ensue—I'm sure of it.

Thankfully, the morning report was enough for me to ease some of the tension that went on in these few weeks. Dalila looked like she could use some fresh air as well, so I agreed to let her tag along with me sometimes as long as she promised not to draw too much attention—we didn't need the king's hawks finding us again. The lions were exceptionally welcoming to Dalila. Some of the lionesses, who supposedly heard segments of what was going on through gossip, had to see it with their own eyes to see if it were really true. Even Scar, who has an unhealthy repugnance towards his brother and any of his peers, seemed a bit wide-eyed when he found out. He didn't think I could even be deemed attractive by someone of the opposite sex, let alone have two chicks with her. But none of the excitement the others shared could rival that of the cubs. They'd always ponder her with their repetitive questions. Some were a bit personal, but they were so nonchalant about it that Dalila couldn't help but laugh, her cheeks glowing with bashfulness. Mufasa would always chide Simba if he asked too many questions, but Dalila would always laugh it off and answer all the prince's inquiries.

"So…are you guys like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Of course."Dalila responded cheekily, a nervous chuckle following.

"Then why don't you _kissssss_ her?" tittered the creamy furred lioness, her eyes batting teasingly.

"We don't need public displays of affection to prove our love." I retorted, swatting the nosy cub away.

Of course, everyone knew of our little predicament besides the cubs. I couldn't bear to crush their poor, little hearts when I tell them that I, one of the core role models in their young lives, stupidly gave into a random bird that just happened to have an incredibly pretty face. What a horrible influence I'd lead onto those poor cubs. They'd be destined to a life of never-ending failure

"Do you give her pet names?" inquired the female, her jade colored eyes fastening onto Dalila and I, who stood a good few inches apart.

"_**What?!**_" I squawked, inching away from her.

She was an incredibly precocious cub.

"Yeah," Simba responded, his brow cocked suspiciously. Even _my _parents have nicknames for each other."

The cubs proceeded to give me a detailed demonstration of what usually went on when they saw these types of things. I grew more red in the face with each _Muffy_ and _Saffy_ emitted in the midst of their serenades to one another. Dalila looked on next to me, a wide smile etched across her beak. From the corner of my eye, I could see her taking a quick, secretive glance at me. I turned around, hoping to meet her in the eye, but she jerked her head quickly and we soon got to our feet.

"Bravo, Monseuir and Madame." Dalila said with a quaint little curtsey to top it off. "You two are wonderful actors."

"_Not __**all**__ of it was acting,_" I muttered audibly, triggering a glare from Simba.

"Whatever, Banana Beak." he growled, his cheeks burning red with embarrassment, much to his friend's joy. "Come on, Nala."

She complied and the two padded for home, leaving Dalila and I with a free evening. The flight back one was very quiet. Nonetheless, there was such an awkward vibe in the air that anything I tried to say, I would soon regret it and it'd just come out as a weary sigh instead.

"Are you alright, Zazu?"Dalila finally asked me when we landed simultaneously into our tree.

"I'm fine." I insisted. "Just a bit tired, that's all."

"Well we can get settled in the nest," she proposed.

I eagerly trailed behind her, retreating to the nest, were the eggs were laying on their side, unscathed.

"Bisa must've wore herself out," she commented, taking note of the portly bird, who fell asleep in her own nest. "She's a miracle worker."

"She could afford to learn a few manners," I scoffed, which prompted a giggle from Dalila.

Everything got quiet again. Dalila's eyes focused on the two swollen eggs, which were ready to hatch in about a week or two's time.

"Have you thought of any names?" she asked, her eyes locked into mine.

I almost forgot how absolutely beautiful they were. _**There you go again, Zazu! This relationship is STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL.**_

"I'm a bit fond of the name Winston." I spoke cheekily.

"Winston?" she inquired with a hint of confusion in her voice.

"You know…after Churchill?"

"Zazu, we are _**not **_naming our son Winston." she retorted, looking more cross than usual.

"Then how about for a daughter…well…let me think…Victoria?"

"After the queen?"

"Elizabeth's a better option if you're not into that name." I said with a grin. "Come on, Dalila. The two would sound absolutely adorable: Winston and Elizabeth, the Twin Majordodos of the Pridelands."

"Absolutely not," she laughed.

"Then you think of something." I suggested wryly. "Since you're such a pro at these sorts of things."

"Well…if you insist." she smirked. "I was thinking _Zina_ for the girl, and probably _Zahir_ for the boy."

"But what if we have two girls or two boys?" I inquired. "Will one of _my_ names come in handy?"

"Never in a million years." she laughed.

"_**KEEP IT QUIET DOWN THERE,**_" Bisa scolded, hanging from the rim of her nest. "_**I'M TRYNA GET SOME SLEEP IN HERE!**_"

Dalila and I exchanged looks, making sure to keep quiet so the royal pain…ahem…I mean the royal _babysitter_ could get some well-deserved rest. In that brief moment, I think things were finally starting to look up for our relationship. But somehow, I wasn't quite sure whether that was a good or a bad thing.

* * *

**Well there was Chapter 8. As you can see, Zazu still has some pretty lovey dovey feelings for Dalila. Stay tuned to see if he's willing to give her another chance. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Dream Date

**_*ehehehe...I forgot to mention something...something important. On my profile, there's a poll asking what you think Zazu and Dalila should name their chicks. Please answer. * The faster you do, the quicker I can post Chapter 10. :) Thanks!*_  
**

**Here's Chapter 9 quickly posted. :D I'm really into this story now, I can't help it :3. Now onto the reviews.**

**Simba1928: I'm glad you like the names. :) I might put up a poll sometime soon.**

**Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Thanks for reading! I assure you Zazu will be a very good parent. :D**

**Emily642: Thanks. I tried. (:**

**Now unto the chapter. :D**

* * *

~9~

It's been about a week's time since that last incident. For the first time in a long time, Dalila and I found each other a bit more tolerable than usual. We weren't fighting like cats and dogs anymore, and our discussions didn't end with impatient scoffs and weary moans. Dalila still seemed a bit peeved that our feelings still hadn't blossomed from then, but I still managed to put my foot down and insisted that we hold on from starting another relationship. Frankly, I deserved a pat on the back. When dealing with a girl who had such tempting features, it was a bit hard to resist.

From the moment Dalila walked into my life, rumors began to circle around the Pridelands. It seemed that I was always the main squeeze around here, which usually wasn't such a shocker I suppose, but all the attention geared towards me made me a bit antsy and uncomfortable once the fragments of hushed gossip lingered into earshot. I usually just brushed it off, since my job was literally to meddle into the affairs of others, but things escalated to the point that certain…_ahem_…shamans of a _certain_ pride…were getting in the way. One night in particular, I was terribly exhausted. Simba and Nala inexplicably caused the whole savannah to break into song, and wound up in the Elephant Graveyard, nearly becoming dog food if it weren't for my quick thinking…and a little help from the Birdie Boiler. I absolutely shudder when I think about it. Anywho, I started to go hopping mad. With the chicks' arrival approaching, hordes of questions came flying in and out of my consciousness. I started to ponder the thought of being a bad father. Suppose the twins grew up to resent me for whatever reason. I'd imagine that my son would become a ruthless menace to society because I didn't give him enough hugs as a hatchling. Or maybe I wouldn't tell my daughter how pretty she was and she'd fly into the arms of a handsome heartbreaker who'd love and leave her. Perhaps when I'm teaching them to fly, I'd accidentally jumble up the instructions and they'd fall with a splat fifty feet into the hard, cold ground below. Heavens, I'd be raising pancakes! _**This is asinine, I'm not ready for this!**_

"Zazu!" Dalila would exclaim with concern, jolting me out of my daydream gone awry.

Once everything calmed down, I was able to take note of the fearful look donned in her eyes, which perked up slightly.

"I'm fine," I said with an assuring grin. "Just a bit nervous about the hatchlings'arrival."

"Do you want to take a quick fly to drown your anxiety?" she suggested, a slight glimmer of excitement in her tone.

"Sure, why not?" I beamed, lifting myself from my spot.

Together, we left the tree and headed into a peaceful night in the Pridelands. Everything was perfect and the skies were speckled with tons of little stars that shone like diamonds in the night sky.

"Not a cloud in sight," I sighed heartily. "There oughta be more nights like this one."

"Yeah," Dalila added with a forced laugh. "You were rather late coming back home today, was everything alright?"

"Just fine," I responded nonchalantly. "This day was incredibly odd, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…the cubs slipped away and wound up in the Elephant Graveyard, while I just squashed by a rhino and pelted through the air by a geyser."

"That's horrible!" she gasped. "Are the cubs alright?"

"Oh they're just fine," I replied cockily. "Thanks to yours truly and his quick thinking."

"And you came out without a scratch, I'm impressed."

"Yep, I'm right as rain…" I responded rather arrogantly, giving her a quick glance.

Dalila reacted with a brief eye roll and sighed faintly as she took note of the lands. It was quite beautiful without so much activity going on…in fact…it was quite romantic as well.

"_**No, Zazu!**_" I thought to myself. "_Absolutely not! I will __**not**__ let you get heartbroken again._"

Dalila had this dreamy look in her eyes, and I could tell she was slowly falling back in love…or so it seemed. And I felt a slight flutter in my stomach at the thought of it, but I wasn't falling for any of it. I abruptly got up and left, much to her dismay.

"But, Zazu…wait!" she begged at her last whim. "Where are you going?"

"I just need some time to myself." I responded as I marched along the path to home.

Suddenly, out of the shrubs, a leathery finger poked me right in my beak, and I leapt back in shock.

"And just waya do you think _you're_ goeeeng?" the ever so familiar accent cackled as he leapt from the bushes.

Of course, Rafiki…

"Nothing," I replied crossly.

"Then why does yaa preedy leedle frand look so sad?" he inquired, his walking stick twirling about in his hand.

"That's none of your concern," I scoffed, walking around him.

His palm wrapped around my body, while the other grabbed hold of Dalila, and he gripped his walking stick in his foot.

"Now you follow old Rafeekee, he knows the way!" I chanted, hopping on his one free leg.

"It's not like we have a choice," Dalila responded with a fit of laughter.

* * *

We were greeted with a nice surprise. A dinner…just for the two of us. Rafiki sat us down on two tree stumps jutted on the side of one that was nearly twice their size. He scrambled back into his tree which wasn't too far away and in his right hand, a platter of berries and bugs which he brought to us. Dalila was a bit flattered, but I was a bit ticked off that I had to be part of this.

"What's the matter, Zazu?" the teal feathered bird asked me with concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Dalila." I insisted, taking a bite out of a beetle that crawled away from the leaf. "Just a lot has been on my mind lately."

Her eyes narrowed a bit in confusion, but nevertheless, she continued to enjoy the dinner. I heard rustling going on behind us, assuming it was just Rafiki tending to whatever he had to. The old mandrill would spend all night painting silly pictures and mixing spices and potions. It was amazing the things he could do, even though I found some of his philosophies a bit far-fetched. The beautiful night, delicious dinner, the luminous moon, it was near perfect atmosphere for a romantic dinner. But I wasn't really feeling it. It was then Rafiki latched onto me, sending me with him into his tree's hollow.

"Just give us a meenut, beyooteeful birdie." he laughed, ambling into his home.

"What could you have possibly dragged me in here for?" I scoffed, my patience running at an all-time low.

He scurried into the back of the tree, looking through a few cluttered piles of random items and fruit.

"A-ha!" he said aloud, his hand grasped on a peculiar looking box.

It was round, and shaped like the hollow of a nut. He gave it to me and I opened it out of curiosity. It was two rings made oddly shaped from stone and smoothed to perfection.

"I made dees when I first heard," he laughed. "Whenever you two are about readee to tie de knot, you come to ol'Rafeekee!"

I gave a forced smile and he shooed me out of his home and reared me towards the dinner, but I saw Dalila bolt towards me. The dinner was a mess. The platter spilled over and berries and bugs littered the beautiful spot.

"They found me, Zazu." she said quietly. "The hawks found me."

Before I could react, I saw the two of them rummage through the scene, looking for any further leads.

"Look," one said gruffly with a point of the beak. "_**There they are! Get them!**_"

Dalila and I hurried on our way, while Rafiki was too caught up in his hobbies to notice our little dilemma. The hawks were catching up to us rather quickly and Dalila and I took off with top speed. It was then that they decided to split up, hopefully trapping us in a circle of some sort. When they appeared out of nowhere, Dalila screamed and dragged me away with her. She took off in top speed, hiding behind a tree stump when the hawks were too far off to notice. She pulled me into a hollow, and hung her head, panting and laughing at the same time. We saw the shadows of the hawks lingering around the stump, but they gave up and continued for home, their run ending in defeat. When the coast was clear, Dalila and I departed from our hiding spots and headed for home as quickly as we could.

* * *

"That was quite impressive," I said with a warm chuckle as we headed to our home tree. "I never knew you were so fast."

"I'm usually not," Dalila responded with bashfulness. "I guess it was just in the heat of the moment."

"Quite remarkable though."

"Well thank-you." she giggled, wrapping her wing around mine.

Just then, I remembered the rings Rafiki gave me. I stupidly dropped them when the hawks came by. But no worries. It's not like they'd do me much good anyway. They'd only get in the way. Alas, we finally arrived. Dalila and I were at the bottom of the tree, and it finally gave me a chance to survey her features one more before we headed inside to sleep. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her almond shaped eyes batted at mine, and her beak curled into a girlish smile.

"No, Zazu…" I thought. "Remember what you said. STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL…STRICTLY PROFESIONAL…STRICTLY—BAH! **TO HELL WITH THIS!**"

Without another thought, I latched onto her and soon enough, we found ourselves with our eyes closed, beaks met, caught in a romantic embrace. My feelings for her which have been deprived for so long have finally been nourished by her touch, and it felt so good. We broke away, and she seemed taken aback, a timid smile swept across her face. We shared our good-nights and she took off to the nest, awaiting my arrival. I turned away, and saw something drop in front of me. Thinking it was the hawks out to get their revenge, I got ready to fly away, but I soon realized it was just Rafiki.

"You forgot dees," he chortled.

He brought out his palm to me and his fingers uncurled, revealing the rings I'd dropped before. I quickly took them, giving him a warm smile before we went our separate ways. But yet another disturbance caught my attention. This time, it was Dalila, and she let out a shrill scream of excitement.

"Zazu!" she grinned. "_**Come up now! They're hatching! They're hatching!**_"

* * *

**So that was it for now! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. Zahir & Liz

**So I decided to post this chapter much earlier than I intended to. Besides, I have a better understanding of what I'll be naming the chicks and the story behind the name. Hope you're happy!**

**Emily642: Thanks! Glad you liked it! :D**

**Simba1928: Glad you're liking the suspense! All those questions will be answered and more in the upcoming chapters! Thanks for reading! **

**Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Daww, thank you! :D**

* * *

~10~

If you asked me right now what goes on in your head when you first lay eyes on your firstborn child, I honestly wouldn't have a definite answer. So many emotions buzzed through my head as Dalila told me the news, and I was frozen in shock. Excitement, shock, anxiety, restlessness, joy, worry...you name it…just whizzing around in my consciousness like a violent storm. She beckoned me to hurry before I missed the first crack and I snapped out of my trance and quickly flew up to meet her. By the time I got up there, not much had happened, but the eggs bounced about as the very first chick fought to escape the enclosure it'd spent its first moments of life in. Bisa muttered a weary sentence or two as she heard us a few branches down, and exclaimed in joy when she saw what was going on.

"They've arrived so early!" she grinned. "I can't believe this is happening!"

As she said this, the first chick's beak stabbed through one of the eggs. Dalila's eyes grew moist with proud tears and I could feel some coming up too.

"In a few moments, we'll be parents!" she squealed, grasping my wing tight.

I nodded eagerly as we awaited the arrival of the very first chick. He had a bit of trouble getting out of the egg, and had to stop for a few moments. I nearly panicked because I thought something had happened to him, and I was ready to go and help him, but Bisa pulled me over to her before I could intervene.

"Don't you dare!" she spat sharply. "You can hurt the poor thing if you try to help it."

I stepped down, an annoyed sneer meagerly etched across my beak and as I inched away. To my relief, he started moving about again, thrashing around the nest, fighting to break free of the mysterious casing. With one last bout of energy, he finally entered the world. His feathers were wet with the remnants of yolk, and his eyes opened, revealing a pair of beautiful sapphire shaded irises.

"He has your eyes," I said to Dalila with a hearty smile.

She rushed to him, her wings wrapped tightly around his sodden little body. He squirmed about, trying to break free of her motherly hold.

"Hello, Zahir." she cooed tenderly, her beak nuzzling his. "Don't be frightened, I'm your mommy."

He was adorned in very little feathers that were a shade of deep baby blue mixed with a hint of greenish tone. He'd be quite a handsome lad once the rest of his feathers started coming in.

"Would you like to hold your son?" Dalila inquired, with a coy grin.

With a slight nod of approval, she transferred the newly born hatchling from her wings into mine. His body was warm and a bit tense.

"Zahir,"I sighed lovingly. "You'll make a fine addition to the family. Welcome to the world, son."

Another shrill chirp filled the air and I quickly turned away, little Zahir still secured in my wings. The second and final chick had emerged from its egg just moments after her big brother was born. Bisa picked her up, cooing at the naked baby bird.

"It's a girl," she sung with joy, snuggling the bird. "And she's absolutely beautiful."

She truly was a gem. She'd inherited most of Dalila's stunning features, and she had a few unique qualities of her own that neither of us possessed. As she opened her eyes for the first time, her attention tried to fix onto the clamor of excited adults, lively green leaves, and the commotion of her arrival. Her eyes donned a beautiful purplish color, a similar shade my mother used to possess so long ago, and she sported a natural smile that could melt anyone's heart at the sight.

"What will you name her, Dalila?" Bisa inquired, giving the hatchling to the new mother to handle.

She thought to herself, and then she turned to me with a smile.

"It wouldn't be fair to Zazu if I named both of them," she decided. "So Zazu…what do _you_ want to name her?"

I knew almost immediately what I wanted to call her. Those beautiful purple eyes were far too reminiscent of the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor…may she rest in peace. And even in her first few minutes of gracing Planet Earth, I could tell she would grow to be a graceful and delicate little lady…almost like a queen.

"Elizabeth," I said joyfully, meeting eyes with the little femme. "Liz for short…"

"Zahir and Liz," Dalila cooed, snuggling next to me. "Zazu, this is without a doubt one of the happiest days in my life…thank you."

I returned the embrace and the two twins finally had a chance to interact with one another. Even a grumpy old Grinch like Bisa looked like her heart grew three times that day. But I could care less what she thought anyway. With our quaint little family of four finally established with the long-awaited birth of the twins, I was on cloud nine and nothing could bring me down.

* * *

Mufasa, upon hearing the news of the twins' arrival, gracefully gave me a break to spend time with the nippers as they grew. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely _**LOVE **_my job, but the time that I've spent with the chicks and Dalila as a family were some of the best days in my life. It was a blast teaching them how to fly. With Dalila by my side, I watched as the chicks dove from the nest, flapping their wings frantically, trying to stay airborne. It was a bit nerve-wracking to see the little ones diving through the heights with such nonchalance, and I nearly fainted at the sight, but Dalila roused me out of my anxiety and insisted that they'd be just fine. I was so thankful she was there. My uptightness and her free-spirited mentality cancelled each other out perfectly.

"Look, Mummy…Daddy!" Lizzie exclaimed in a fit of laughter as she darted about the deep blue skies. "I'll be flying like a hawk in no time."

Her flying was still a bit unbalanced and choppy, but it was still quite impressive.

"You're very right, dear." Dalila responded with a warm smile. "And Zahir's not too far behind."

Liz stopped in her tracks, looking down at her elder brother, who didn't quite get the hang of it.

"He can never be as good as me!" she said cockily.

I shot her a stern glare, and she responded with a cheeky grin. She was still very young, but we definitely raised her better than that. Zahir seemed a bit annoyed and humiliated as he skulked in the corner, giving up after a few more sessions. Dalila looked to me, her eye brows raised and an assuring smile wide across her beak. I immediately knew where she was hinting at and I swooped towards my eldest child.

"What's wrong, son?" I asked worriedly.

"I can't do this!" he groaned, flapping his wings.

"Well you've just started," I said light-heartedly. "You still have a lot to learn."

"Dad…seriously…even my own _**twin**_ could fly better than me!"

"Don't let that bring your confidence down," I said with a loving sigh. "Even though you two are twins…you both have very different qualities and personalities that your mother and I both love equally."

He laughed a bit as he lifted himself off the ground.

"Are you sure you don't love one of us a _little_ more?" he asked me.

"Absolutely,"

"Not even a _teeny tiny _bit?"

"Positive, comrade."

His questions ended from there and he glided from his spot into the air again. He rose, looking down at me, but as his flapping intensified, he sunk lower towards ground level. I caught up with him, helping him through the last few steps.

"Relax, Zahir." I told him. "Don't flap your wings so quickly. Take it a bit slower."

He complied, and soon enough, he was doing it on his own.

"I'm doing it, Dad!" he said with a grin stretched from ear-to-ear.

It was so heart-warming seeing my two chicks dancing and darting about in the air, mastering the skill of flying. Those two were such fluffy and drop-dead adorable little things. Feh. The Olsen twins don't hold a candle to these little buggers.

"I'm going to get some rest," Dalila suggested, nuzzling me before she parted. "I'll see you three later."

"Bye, Mum." the duo responded in chirrupy unison.

Dalila flew off and the two of them quickly flew down to meet me.

"So don't tell your mother," I whispered to the chicks. "But I have a special surprise planned out for her."

Liz's face lit up with cheeriness once she heard the word _surprise_.

"What do we have to do?" she inquired with a jovial bounce in her voice.

"You two will follow me to the shrubs and help me pick out the gooseberries and the miracle berries and well gather them."

"Those are Mum's favorite." Zahir pointed out, a sly smile slowly creeping across his face. "Are _we_ having a special dinner or something?"

"Your _**mother and I**_ are having a special dinner while _**you two**_ spend the rest of the evening with Bisa." I corrected humorously. "Can't we come, please?" Liz begged.

"Yeah!" Zahir added with a sulk. "Bisa's _**such**_ a wanker!"

"_**Now watch your beak, young man!**_" I scolded, triggering a cutesy grin from my son.

He took the memo and he and Liz rushed away to do what I said. I honestly hated having to be so cross with them, but if it ensured that they'd be molded into well-mannered adults, then so be it. After a few hours of preparing, I finally finished setting up the area where we'd partake in our romantic dinner for two.

"And just one last thing to top it all off," I said to myself cheerfully as I parted the leaves to reveal the case of rings Rafiki had given to me earlier.

I opened the casing, just to get one last glimpse at them before I set them on the table and waited patiently for the chicks' return. As I relaxed myself, Liz parted the blades of grass, dragging along with her a large leaf with hordes of miracle berries and what not.

"Thank you, Liz darling," I told her with a proud grin.

I scoped the area, puzzled as to where Zahir would be at this time. They were usually glued to each other's side, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Where's your brother, Lizzie?" I inquired, growing a bit worried.

"He had the lilies in his beak," Liz responded with a bewildered look plastered across his face. "He went looking for a few more of them in the fields and that's where I last saw him."

_Oh Great Kings, no…_

"Liz, stay here and don't move a muscle!" I ordered as I readied to find my missing son.

"You're not mad at me, Daddy, are you?" she groaned remorsefully.

"Of course not, hon." I said with assurance to spare her feelings. "Now just do what I said and keep yourself occupied in the meantime!"

With that, I headed into the long stalks of grass, blindly searching for the missing Zahir. Simba and Nala, which were about ten times his size, would've been hyena chow if it weren't for Mufasa's quick thinking. Just imagine what would happen to a little fledgling like him. Heavens, just imagine the poor little lad, all lost, and alone, and cold, and hungry. _**Good going, Zazu! You stupidly left your children in the hands of the harsh African wilderness, when they just barely learned how to fly. Bah! Some kind of father you are! The Father of the Year plaque is shined up just for you. **_

In the midst of my thinking, I trampled over a ball of blue fluff. I turned back, and lo and behold—it's Zahir lifting himself off the ground. We met eyes simultaneously, and he forced a nervous laugh while I narrowed my eyes in disappointment.

"Ehehhe…sorry Dad." he blushed.

"You better have a good explanation for all of this!" I scolded.

"Dad…I'm sorry. I was picking the flowers for your dinner with Mom and these three weird birds passed by!"

My brow raised in suspicion. I was a bit reluctant to believe his story. He was quite a joker…and a pathological liar at that.

"And you gotta believe me!" he faltered on. "They had these big, razor sharp talons…_**WAYYY**_ sharper than ours…and they were like _**FIVE TRILLION**_ times your size, and they had these pointy looking beaks. And they were really something, Dad! You should've been there!"

"Don't you know how worried I was something happened to you?" I barked sharply. "And here you are just waltzing around, making us these lies?"

"But, Dad!" he said in his defense. "I'm telling you the truth!"

"Well you can tell Bisa all about your little _voyage_ once you get home."

Looking back on it, I should've definitely taken little Zahir's story a bit more seriously. If I had, I could've probably avoided the tragic outcome hanging just around the corner.

* * *

**Don't ask me how Zazu knows Liz Taylor, or the queen. He just does! xD Hope you liked it! Stay tuned for chapter 11! Good night, guys!**


	11. A Painful Goodbye

**So I noticed I might've used a bit of Aussie slang. :P My bad, people. I don't think it really mattered, but if it kinda peeved you a bit, sorry about that! xD As of now, I'd probably say this will probably be the second to last chapter of the story, plus the sequel I'm making called, "The Way We Were", which will probably be published later this year or probably early next year. I'll be waist deep in college apps and scholarship essays once senior year begins, so I might have to take a break from this site till this stress passes. :P Now onto the reviews for the previous chapter: **

**Kendramccormick: Aww, I'm glad you like them. I didn't want to make them too cutesy. It'd probably annoy everyone. And lmaoo, he just knows pretty much. :P It would explain why she has such an **_**odd**_** name, well at least in the Lion King world I guess! XD Plus, in the original movie, Zazu seems to know a bit of Pig Latin, so I figure he's been around. Lol. Thanks for reading!**

**Simba1928: Well we'll just have to find out now, won't we? (; I kinda have to come up with some new responses myself. I sound too repetitive. :P So, Anksthay orfay eviewingray! :D **

**Emily642: Sadly, your guess is probably true. Just hope everything goes well. (: Thanks!**

**Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Thank you. I'm glad you think it's funny. C: **

**Now, onto chapter 11, I suppose. :P **

* * *

~11~

Zahir and I after our little encounter decided to retrieve Liz from the spot where I last left her, and head home from there. As we ambled down the path towards the missing member of our trio, I realized that this was usually that one part in those cheesy family movies where the father would put his arm around his son and say, "Little Johnny, it's about time you and I had a heart-to-heart…". I never thought this day would come so early, but it is what it is.

"Son," I started with a sigh.

"Yeah, Dad?" the chick responded, eager for my fatherly advice.

I hesitated a bit, afraid that I'd screw this up one way or another. Nevertheless, I began.

"You see," I resumed calmly. "There comes a time in every young fledgling's life when he begins the sudden, inevitable, unpredictable, and hormone crazed journey to manhood…"

_Nope…that's not right._ I turned to Zahir, who looked rather confused.

"Disregard that…errr…you see, when two birds have deep feelings for one another, they fall in love and then when the timing's right, they show their love by…"

_**ZAZU! WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU, YOU DOPE?!**_

"Are you alright, Dad?" Zahir inquired, concerned for my sanity.

I let out a whoosh of breath, then proceeded to thoroughly clear my head of all the clutter.

"Zahir," I started after my much-needed mental cleansing. "What I'm trying to say is…you had me incredibly worried when Liz came back and you weren't with her."

"Worried for what?" he scoffed back, obviously not catching my drift.

I planted my foot firmly onto his tail feathers and he turned towards me, his gloating quickly diminishing at the sight of my stern glower.

"You don't understand, Zahir, do you?" I said with a small hint of firmness in my tone.

The puzzled chick shook his head in response.

"Zahir, just imagine if something had gotten to you before I had a chance to find you." I continued with a melancholy sigh. "If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

It seemed like my words were finally getting to my son, and he winced a bit and shuffled his feet in guilt and embarrassment.

"I guess you should've been worried, huh?" he said with nervous laughter. "I'm really sorry, Dad."

"No harm done," I replied warmly, nuzzling him briefly with my beak. "As long as the two of you are safe and sound."

Out of nowhere, Zahir wrapped his wings around mine, and I immediately did the same. My heart felt like it would burst of pure joy at that very second. Zahir would usually scoff at times like this, thinking he was too manly for such sentimental instances…so when moments like these came around, I came to cherish them as much as I could. We separated and headed to Liz, who paced back and forth, looking a bit nervous. When she finally caught sight of us, she quickly ran to me, locking her wings tightly around my body.

"What's the matter, Lizzie?" I asked with worry.

The poor thing's face looked flushed and paler than usual, as if she'd been frightened half to death. She was also a bit tense to the touch.

"Let's get out of here," she whimpered. "I'm hearing a lot of weird noises."

"Like what?" I inquired, trying my best to soothe the little girl.

"I don't know," she sighed, loosening her coiled wings. "They're loud screeches…nothing I've ever heard before!"

"Oh don't worry, Darling!" I told her with an assuring grin. "It's probably just figments of your imagination. Besides, you're in the _**Pridelands**_! You're in perfectly good hands."

"Really now?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course! Who would hurt the majordomo, his beautiful mate, or his absolutely adorable children?"

The two chicks let out sighs of relief, and each glued to one of my sides and headed home with me. I took a heavy, inaudible gulp, wondering whether Zahir's _sightings_ and Liz's _strange sounds_ might've in fact been legitimate. Either these just coincidentally occurred within such a short interval…or I was going a bit crazy.

* * *

It was finally evening and everything was set. Dalila and I readied to head to our destination, while Liz and Zahir were a few feet from the nest boasting about who flew the best out of the two.

"Don't give Bisa too much trouble, you guys!" she called out to the two young birds, who responded with two simultaneous nods.

Bisa was a lot more bearable since the chicks were born. In time, she'd come to respect me more and her snide remarks became less frequent. As we said our good-byes to the chicks, she looked on from her home branch, making sure to keep good watch on the two. We weren't too far from home anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to let the chicks stretch their wings out for the time being. Content with what we saw, I escorted my belle to our romantic night together.

"Where could you be taking me?" she asked aloud, a smile widening across her beak.

"Just wait and see," I responded heartily. "I promise you it'll be a night you'll never forget."

A wry smile crept across my own beak.

"Sounds…interesting." she smirked, brushing her head against my wing.

I stepped a few paces ahead of her, halting her just as she was getting ready to step forward.

"What's gotten into you?" she said with a playful cock of the brow.

"I just want you to adore the beauty for a bit," I said with a cheesy smile as I parted the leaves to reveal the beautiful dinner.

Her eyes were wide and gleaming, while her mouth stood agape in pure shock. I wrapped a beak around her and she laughed fervently as she brought me into a tight hug.

"Oh, this is absolutely beautiful!" she squealed excitedly. "I love it."

"Well there's more to come…" I winked, chaperoning her to her designated seat.

She eyed the delicacies and the scenery. Fireflies danced around, little neon green lights flickering ever so often.

"Gooseberries and miracle berries…and the lilies…it's absolutely _**PERFECT**_!" Dalila resumed, a wide grin plastered across her face. "I love you so much, Zazu."

We took our respective seats and we fastened our eyes on one another, locked in a dreamy gaze.

"So tell me, Dalila, why _did_ you say those things when we were rounded up?" I inquired as I snapped back into reality.

The tip of her wing circled around a loose berry as looked at me, her eyes sunk miserably towards the ground.

"I was so frightened, Zazu." she started sadly. "I thought that if I ever told my father about what we were doing, he'd be incredibly angry, and the abuse would just worsen. I didn't want to, but I was younger, and a bit stupid. But, in these past few weeks, and all these crazy events, I've done a lot of growing up…and I'm ready to forget the past…and possibly start over."

Perhaps I needed to gain some perspective. I was so caught up in how Dalila embarrassed me and lied about me that I didn't realize the predicaments she herself was in, and how scared she was of her father. I ran my wing tip across the rings'case and I smiled. I knew I had to ask her. I got up, and she did the same, our wings wrapped tight around each other's.

"Dalila," I started, beaming lovingly at her. "Will you do me the honor of…"

My proposal for marriage suddenly got caught into my throat as my eye caught sight of two sketchy looking birds that rooted themselves right by our dinner. Dalila, suspicious of my sudden change in demeanor, turned around and gasped in horror when she saw the birds.

"Well," one of them said gruffly. "Looks like we found our little couple on the run."

"Isn't this cute?" the other one teased, flashing a malicious smirk. "And their chicks are just adorable."

"_**What have you done with our chicks?!**_" Dalila spat in a fiery tone, her eyes smoldering with rage.

"Temper, Princess…Kiros is taking excellent care of them."

"Kiros?" I asked quizzically.

"He's the suitor I told you about…" Dalila scowled, her eyes never leaving the arrogant guards.

"This can't be…" I said under my breath. "How did you know where we were?"

"Simple…" a gruff, masculine voice said, his identity hidden in the shadows. "The king told me about his little dilemma, and promised us a bounty if we found the beautiful, young thing."

He loomed out of the shadows, with a broad, evil smile. His feathers were a very dark golden color, with a black crest on his head and a similar shade on his wing tips and tail feathers. By his side were Bisa and the chicks, that looked a bit aloof and fearful. Another familiar figure appeared, emitted a warm snicker as he laid eyes on us.

"Looks like we've met again," Dalila's patriarch chuckled warmly.

"Well take your money and leave us alone!" the teal bird spat at Kiros, who only responded with an arrogant sigh.

"Dalila, sweetheart, you don't realize the prize is _you_…"

My heart dropped at the sound of those words. Bisa grasped onto the children, who could only look on as Kiros approached us, their feathers clumped together and moist with tears.

"What should we do with this imbecile, Jeuri?" Kiros asked Dalila's father, pacing back and forth, eyeing me frequently. "Surely, my hawks can rip this fool's throat out on the spot."

"_**No!**_" the chicks wept, taking comfort in Bisa's wings as she shushed them.

"Leave us alone!" Dalila growled between clenched teeth.

Jeuri grapped Dalila, his idle wing coiled around her throat.

"You're coming home." he smirked. "And you _**WILL**_ marry Kiros…or you're little _boyfriend_ will pay for it."

"You were never like this!" Bisa argued. "All this power changed you! Why can't you be the respectable bird I used to know."

"Stay out of this, peasant!" the disgruntled king muttered, his eyes never leaving his daughter.

She refused to give in to her father's advances, despite the hawks eyeing me, ready to slice their talons through me. Liz grasped onto Zahir, too afraid to even witness what was happening. His sights were in fact true, as were the strange sounds Liz heard earlier, and I foolishly snubbed them, like some sort of know-it-all, haughty prick. Good heavens…I _**let **_this happen.

"Dad, what's going on?" Zahir muttered, tears slowly rolling down his face.

Liz couldn't bring herself to leave from the refuge of her older twin's wings, but Dalila stood strong. Suddenly, after putting up the fight, Dalila's face softened, and she grudgingly accepted defeat. Kiros and Jeuri grinned sinisterly as they turned away.

"This is a much better punishment," Jeuri snickered. "Let the freak wallow around in loneliness for the rest of his pitiful life."

Tears stung their way through my eyes as Kiros ogled Dalila. She tried to block the images out of her head, trick herself into thinking that this was for the best, but tears began to pour down her face.

"The maid and the children will make fine exceptions to my little line of servants too," Kiros grinned, his attention focused onto the pair. "Seth would absolutely _adore_ you two little dolls."

"The chicks?" I gasped in disbelief, scanning the tyrant's faces for any signs of fibbing. "_**You can't do this to me!**_"

"_Oh, but we can._" Jeuri responded, the tip of his wings twinned together, and a remorseless smile wide across his beak. "But I'll allow you to bid your farewells to one another before you leave with Kiros."

"Make sure they don't leave!" Kiros demanded in a fiery voice to his hawk guards, who kept close watch on the five of us.

I looked up, and four pairs of eyes fell upon me…sorrow-filled and anticipating the crying, hugging and dreadful valedictions. I tried to open my beak, but how could I possibly tell them that I would never see them again and I was forced to send them away to a vicious king who'd do _Great Kings-knows-what_ to them without breaking their hearts? One of the hawks nudged me, a sneer of impatience plastered on his face and I stumbled across my first sentence.

* * *

**And thus…the happy and cheerful love life of Zazu and Dalila takes a sudden turn for the worse. This was supposed to be in a span of three or four chapters, but I cut it down. The twelfth and final chapter should be up here some time towards the end of the week. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Memories

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, as you can see, and this is also the final chapter of this story. Now onto my final reviewer response for **_**Into the Night**_**:**

**NimbatheHedgehog: Finally came up with a suitable username, huh? xD Love it! You must've reviewed like every single chapter since this story started. TYSM! :D Btw, people, check out her profile. Her story is awesome! (:**

**Simba1928: Hah, thanks! :D**

**Emily642: Well there **_**is**_** a sequel in store…'nuff said. xD Oh yeah, this girl's got some pretty awesome Zazu fics too. Check them out! **

**Now here's chapter 12! **

* * *

_Memories, may be beautiful and yet  
What's too painful to remember  
We simply choose to forget  
So it's the laughter  
We will remember  
Whenever we remember...  
The way we were.._

_~ Barbra Streisand._

* * *

~12~

Bisa escorted the two children towards me. It pained me to see how frightful the two were. Never in my life I'd never seen so much fear in their eyes. The same lively, whimsical eyes I was so accustomed to, were now gleaming with remnants of already shed tears as a fearful tremor overcame their frail little bodies.

"Come here," I said gently, trying my hardest not to upset them any further.

In that moment, they latched onto me, tears pouring down their faces once more, and Dalila and Bisa were in the background, trying hard not to burst into sobs themselves.

"No more crying," I scolded with a tinge of austerity in my voice.

We separated, and the last of the tears rolled slowly down their faces.

"But we'll never see you again," muttered my eldest, his wings still grasping tightly onto mine.

"Zahir," I sighed, running my idle wing against his head. "This is only good-bye for now."

"But you heard what he said, we were going away forever."

"Don't worry, son." I said heartily. "I'm sure that in time, we'll meet again. But now, you have to be the bird of the nest, and take good care of your mother and Liz."

He struggled back onto his feet and he looked at me, while Liz still choked on another bout of sorrow-filled sobs. They inched away from me, muttering the last of their good-byes. Zahir brushed his head against Dalila's wing, still stifling his weeping every few seconds or so, but still incredibly proud of his newfound title. Dalila and I shared ambled towards me, trying her best to avoid the ruthless glare of her father, her future mate, and her guards, and when she appeared in front of me, her wings gripped onto mines, her eyes moistening with unshed tears. Jeuri looked on, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in triumph, knowing that he had crushed something so near and dear to us.

"I'm so sorry, Zazu." she spoke in a whisper in an attempt to hold back her tears.

Her efforts were futile. As she uttered those four words, tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. My own eyes began to well with tears too, and we gave each other one long, meaningful embrace before she broke away. She looked up at me, her eyes lowering down to the ground as she held onto the tip of my right wing.

"For everything…"

"There, there." I insisted, rubbing my idle left wing across her tense back. "Through all the trouble…Dalila, you've made these few moments together some of the bests moments of my life. I'm sure we'll meet again someday, but go along."

"But, Daddy, we want to stay with you!" Liz murmured, half of her face buried into Bisa's plumage.

I hated to see my lovely little flower so doleful and solemn, but I would rather send them off then put up a fight and risk their well-being.

"Be a good chick…" I told her. "You and Zahir…and don't give your mother too much trouble."

They wiped the last of their tears away, glowers still wide across their beak and they silently turned about face, with Bisa wrapping her wings across each of their bodies as she walked towards Kiros.

"Goodbye, Zazu." Dalila said, nuzzling me one last time.

I kissed her good-bye and we parted, not knowing when we would meet again…or if we would meet at all. The hawks passed by me, keeping an eye on me for the nest few second before they bounded for their king and Jeuri, who walked away, content with their ghastly deeds. They soon glided into the air, and I kept watch on them until they were mere specks in the horizon. In that very moment, almost everything I came to know and love dearly was stolen from right under my beak. I began my slow and miserable trek back to my nest, passing the jackalberry tree where Dalila, the chicks, Bisa and I used to live. The countless memories came rushing to my head at that very moment as I passed it, but I soon shooed them away, assuming that thinking about them will only cause more heartbreak. Alas, I finally returned to my nest, thinking about the time when a scared Dalila came to me for shelter, all battered and bruised, and snuggled into my wings while she professed her love to me. I was back to the life of the work-happy, single royal advisor, but accompanied with a short, but sorrowful story of forbidden love, heartache and eventually, a heavy heart.

* * *

Another week had passed since then, and I heard nothing more of Dalila or the others. I had sleepless nights worrying myself crazy over what they could possibly be going through on account of my decision. Simba and Nala grew suspicious when they didn't see Dalila for some time, and soon the pestering began once more.

"Dalila had to go on a short trip back to her home," I said, masking my insincerity with a glint of cheeriness in my tone. "She'll be back in a few days' time."

It was a horrible thing to do, but it put an end to the non-stop questions, but resulted with the cubs sulking about how they wished they got to see the chicks before they had to leave. Mufasa noticed my despair and suggested that I take some time off to clear my head. I'd always insist that I was still fit to continue my daily job, and after a few more attempts at coaxing me into taking some well-needed time to myself, he gave up and left me alone. One morning in particular, I was looking off into the lands, in hope of a juicy story to report to the king, while he himself partook in a lone, quiet stroll across the lands.

"Where are the cubs?" I inquired with a cocked brow.

"Nala is in the den, and Simba's with Scar…" Mufasa responded nonchalantly, inviting me to come onto his shoulder.

I agreed to his proposal and he soon continued on his leisurely walk, with me accompanying him.

"Is everything alright with you, now?" he asked, trying his best not to make me depressed.

"Just fine," I responded dolefully.

After a brief pause, I let out a deep sigh and looked to my side.

"I'd like to think that we'd meet again someday, but what are the odds?" I blurted out, my bottled up emotions pouring from my beak. "To think I raised their hopes when I knew there's little to know chance we'd ever see each other again!"

Mufasa paused and I glided from his shoulder. We fastened eyes and he nodded.

"Zazu, I'm not sure whether you'll meet them again in the future, but for now, you should cherish the memories you shared with them instead of pushing them away."

"But reminiscing will only cause more pain!" I insisted.

Saying that made me feel a bit guilty about pushing my own family away for my own selfish needs, but it was working…well sort of.

"Zazu…I felt the same way you did when my father passed." Mufasa confessed, his voice still booming and gruff.

I perked up a bit, looking up at him.

"When the news first hit me, I was very young…a lot younger than you definitely…but that's not the point. All those memories I used to have of him from cubhood all the way to adulthood, I pushed them away, thinking it would only hurt me more. But no matter how much suffering I've endured, those wonderful memories I had with him always managed to make me feel better, even when nobody else would listen or could relate to my troubles."

A miniscule smile crept across my beak and I nodded gleefully at him, flying onto his shoulder blade once more before we headed for home. I turned my head, my eyes taking note of the surroundings. It was usually quiet this time of the year, but to my shock, the herd galloped in swarms through the gorge. Perhaps their migration started a bit earlier this year.

"Oh look, Sire," I announced. "The herd is on the move."

"Odd…" the king responded, sharing my confusion.

In a flash, a familiar slender, brown lion climbed above the rocky terrain to catch up with us. It was Scar, and he looked exhausted and frightened. Perhaps those mingy mutts finally turned on him and he was running for his life…but nothing could prepare me for the shocking news he had in store.

"Mufasa…quick! Stampede…in the gorge…_**SIMBA'S DOWN THERE!**_"

* * *

**If you've already seen the movie (which you probably have...), you probably know just about what happened after that… :P A rather tragic end, but there's still a sequel in store, so don't lose hope! :D It will take place about a year after Kiros and Jeuri take Dalila and the chicks away, and it'll be sort of an adventure/family fic. Not as tragic, but it may be a bit angst-ish at some points of the story. Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed. They were so awesome and supportive, and they continue to motivate me! Thanks again!**

**~ PGM**


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